They’re racing in the City of Melbourne election

As the days and weeks roll by, those seeking to fill the Lord Mayor, Deputy Lord Mayor and the nine councillor positions on the Melbourne City Council increase exponentially along with their policies and promises. 

There is no doubt we need to be careful what we wish for in deciding who will occupy Town Hall for the next four years. 

We need a council that reflects strong local experience, an understanding of how the city works, and a council that represents the diversity of interests including those of residents. We need real responses to the challenges and opportunities that confront the city and not bland slogans and throw away headlines. 

The result of the forthcoming Melbourne City Council election will however reflect the gerrymandered electoral provisions of the City of Melbourne Act 2001, the product of consecutive State Government Premiers, from Jeff Kennett through to the present day. The electoral provisions favour celebrity and cashed-up councillors supported by donations from developers and then declared after the election. 

For residents the absence of wards and attendance voting plus the two-to-one voting gerrymander in favour of non-resident property owners and corporations results in an unrepresentative and unresponsive council. 

Opportunities to meet the candidates across the municipality will be provided by a number resident and business groups. We need to engage with candidates and gain a deeper understanding of their polices. 

The Carlton Residents’ Association (CRA) has recently conducted a survey of members and has developed an “Agenda for Carlton”. The agenda summarises the priorities the CRA will pursue during and after the election. 

E-scooter traffic lights 

The red light for the “green” and “orange” will see the Lime and Neuron e-scooters disappear from the streets, footpaths, laneways, parks and gardens of the City of Melbourne following the council decision to ban their use. 

The e-scooter shared scheme operated by Neuron and Lime will hit a cul de sac within 30 days. The decision of the Melbourne City Council to vote for a ban was surprising to many and even some councillors were caught unaware of the ban proposition. 

However, councillor offices had been inundated for some time with emails and letters opposing the continuation of the scheme and providing anecdotal evidence of misuse and exposing the positive claims by the companies.

In fact, each extension of the trial over the past two years seemed to dig the state government and the council into a deeper hole as they stumbled to deliver good public policy as the companies drained their social licence failing to implement controlling measures. 

Lord Mayor Nick Reece led those supporting the e-scooter ban despite in recent weeks showing strong support for their role across the municipality. Former Deputy Lord Mayor Arron Wood, who is also a candidate for Lord Mayor, proposed a ban in the Hoddle Grid only, which seemed to force the hand of the council. 

It certainly raised the ire of residents living in the neighbourhoods. Under such a limited ban our neighbourhoods would become the playground and parking lot for e-scooters. 

Support for the ban came from Lord Mayor Reece and councillors Campbell, Louey, Griffiths, Le Liu and Chang. They focused on the disruption caused to other modes of mobility especially walking, the failure of the state government to construct a trial with a regulatory and compliance framework and the rate of accidents as reported by the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Those opposed to the ban included councillors Leppert, Ball, Hakim and Doidge. 

The cul de sac may well be just a parking lot for e-scooters as their return following the election is a possibility. 

The CRA will be seeking a strong regulatory and compliance framework for the future use of the e-scooter shared scheme to ensure that they integrate and not disrupt mobility across the municipality. •